WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) today voted to pass the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The legislation was approved unanimously and includes Senator Capito’s amendment providing health benefits that have been unfairly denied to mobilizing reservists. The House of Representatives passed the measure earlier this week, and it now heads to President Trump’s desk for his signature.
 
“It’s critical that our military has the resources they need to face and combat the very real and evolving threats facing our country,” Senator Capito said. “The legislation we passed today will help fund key national security priorities and ensure our military has the tools necessary to continue defending our nation and keeping Americans safe. It also provides essential support for service members and their families and gives our troops a well-deserved pay raise. I was proud to support this important bill and even more proud I was able to secure a provision that will provide mobilized reservists the same health benefits as active duty members.”
 
“On behalf of the 45,000 members of the National Guard Association of the United States (NGAUS) and the nearly 500,000 soldiers and airmen of the National Guard, we greatly appreciate the inclusion of Senator Capito’s amendment in the final version of the Fiscal Year 2018 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA),” said Brigadier General (Ret.) J. Roy Robinson, president of NGAUS. “This vitally important amendment will significantly benefit thousands of National Guardsmen and Reservists deployed under 12304 mobilization authority by providing them access to pre- and post-mobilization TRICARE health coverage.”
 
“The Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States (EANGUS) greatly appreciates Senator Capito’s efforts to secure health care benefits for reservists,” said Sergeant Major (Ret.) Frank Yoakum, executive director of EANGUS. “The brave men and women of our National Guard deserve the same benefits as active duty when they’re called up to serve the country.”
 
NDAA Highlights:
 

  • Provides nearly $700 billion for equipment and personnel to fight terrorism and other evolving threats.
      
  • Authorizes a 2.4 percent across-the-board pay raise for uniformed service members.
      
  • Addresses the readiness shortfall, crisis in modernization and eroding military advantage by recapitalizing our forces and reinvesting in our capabilities.
        
  • Bans the transfer of Guantanamo Bay detainees to the United States.
        
  • Increases STARBASE funding by more than $20 million. STARBASE educates K-12 students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) to encourage careers in those fields.

 

# # #